A new Barbados Today article by Suleiman Bulbulia of the Barbados Muslim Association discusses my blog post titled “Why Celebrating Columbus Day Is like Celebrating ISIS.” He wrote the following. Terrorism in all its forms must be condemned. Whether by a group of radicals, fanatics or fundamentalists or by a group of men and women in uniforms.…… Continue reading Quoted in “Two Cases of Terrorism”
Rice Magazine (Summer, 2016: p. 19) wrote a short piece on my research paper on Prophet Muhammad’s covenants with Christians. Author Amy McCaig wrote: “Prophet Muhammad believed that freedom of religion and civic rights were important components of a ‘Muslim nation,’ according to a new analysis of the prophet’s covenants with Christians. Research by Rice…… Continue reading From Islamic History, Lessons on Religious Freedom
Students in my “Muslims in American Society” course at Rice University have produced some excellent material to counter the Islamophobia industry. Here is the latest peace on dismantling the idea that “jihad means violence.” I highly recommend that you read the entire blog. A few passages to get you started… “I think all of us recognize…… Continue reading Jihad: Striving for Peace
Students in my “Muslims in American Society” course at Rice University are writing blog posts over the course of the semester. Small groups have been assigned on students’ areas of interest including Islamophobia, jihad, Christian-Muslim relations, Islam and hip-hop, and Muslims in the 2016 presidential election. Here is the first blog post titled “Unpacking Islamophobia:…… Continue reading Unpacking Islamophobia: History, Politics and Industry
Imam Wazir Ali and Imam Qasim Ahmed came to guest lecture in my “Muslims in American Society” course at Rice University. Earlier in the week, I covered the rise of the Nation of Islam and the life of Elijah Mohammed as well as Malcolm X. Naturally we had to move on to the legacy of Imam…… Continue reading Video: The Legacy of Imam WD Mohammed
My social media accounts have received more nasty comments than usual. I am not sure what has sparked this development, as I have been relatively quiet due to teaching obligations. I want to take a second to reflect on some things that have been on my mind. These nasty comments directed towards me certainly…… Continue reading This Christian Is Unfazed By Islamophobes
The Religion and Public Life Program held a panel in an effort to address common misconceptions about the Islamic faith on Thursday. The panel consisted of three guests: Imam Wazir Ali, the imam of two mosques in Houston; Craig Considine, lecturer of sociology at Rice University and M. Hasna Maznavi, founder and president of the…… Continue reading Panel Addresses Misconceptions of Islamic Faith
By now, you have probably heard about Donald Trump Jr.’s tweet comparing a bowl of Skittles to Syrian refugees. As The Intercept has pointed out, this kind of rhetoric has deep roots in anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda. The Intercept writes: The concept dates back at least to 1938 and a children’s book called Der Giftpilz, or…… Continue reading Trump’s “Bowl of Skittles” Linked to Nazi Propaganda
In the aftermath of the NYC bombs, Donald Trump called for increased racial profiling of Muslims. “Our local police – they know who a lot of these [Muslims] are. They are afraid to do anything about it because they don’t want to be accused of profiling,” Trump said on Fox News on Monday. Trump pointed to how…… Continue reading After NYC Bombs, We Need to Talk About Islamo-racism
This is why we say “Islamophobia is racism.” A Muslim woman walking on the streets of NYC was literally lit on fire by a “stranger.” She was targeted based on her “traditional clothing,” or her physical appearance. Her body was used as a “text” of sort to categorize, label, and demonize. Her article of clothing…… Continue reading Muslim Woman in NYC Lit on Fire – This is Why We Say “Islamophobia is Racism”
A big thank you to the Muslim Council of Hong Kong for shedding more light on my research and spiritual/intellectual growth. Here is what they have to say: Dr. Craig Considine, a Catholic Irish, is a well-known sociologist at Rice University in Houston, USA. Last year, he tweeted about 9/11 and Prophet Muhammad. A tweet…… Continue reading 9/11 Made Me Hate Prophet Muhammad, But Now He’s My Role Model, Says a Catholic
One word – Islamophobia – captures Donald Trump’s rise to the top of the American political scene. Over the course of the last year, Trump has called for the following: a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States; closure of mosques; possibly putting Muslims in internment camps; and “absolutely” requiring Muslims to…… Continue reading Rice University Discussion to Break Stereotypes of Muslim Americans
Here is a slightly different perspective of what I will #NeverForget about 9/11. Before I do that, I want to say that I grieve the loss of all souls that passed away on that day, and every other day where humanity crumbles because of outrageous acts of mass murder. My heart goes out to the…… Continue reading What I Will Never Forget About 9/11
It was an honor to talk to Dr. Kashif Chaudhry of Rabwah Times, an excellent news source which I hope everyone will follow via social media. Dr. Chaudhry and I covered a range of topics including: 1) my trip to Jalsa USA 2016; 2) Islamophobia as racism; 3) “true Islam” and religious freedom; 4) motivation…… Continue reading Rabwah Times Interview on Islam and Religious Freedom
“Armed and Vigilant: In Fear of a Muslim Uprising in Texas.” That is that title of a recent Al Jazeera mini-documentary on YouTube. The clip delves into the inflammatory anti-Muslim sentiment bubbling up in Texas. In the video, Tania Rashid, an Al Jazeera reporter, talks to David Wright, a member of the Bureau on American-Islamic…… Continue reading Teaching “Muslim Americans” in Texas, the Hotbed of Islamophobia
For the last several months on Twitter, I have responded to Islamophobic comments by coming up with different definitions of an “Islamophobe.” Here is a compilation of my definitions. Leave your own definitions in the comment section. Perhaps in the future I can put together another post with all of your contributions. ****** Islamophobe (noun)…… Continue reading Definitions of “Islamophobe”
ISIS and Boko Haram are two of the world’s most notorious “radical Islamic groups.” You’ll rarely – if ever – hear about these groups without also seeing terms like Islam, Muslim, radical, jihad, Quran, extremism, and so on. ISIS and Boko Haram, we are told, represent “Islamic values” intertwined with a political dimension. New documents,…… Continue reading Research Shows ISIS and Boko Haram Don’t Know Anything About Islam
Antonia Bloomberg, who writes for The Huffington Post, cited an article I wrote last year in her new piece titled “Documentary To Shed Light On Untold Stories Of Muslims In The U.S. Military.” She wrote:
Here is the 8 minute speech I gave this past weekend – I talk about religious pluralism, Prophet Muhammad and DEUCE.
Rabwah Times is an online news publication which started off from the town of Rabwah, Pakistan as a community project back in 2006. Rabwah is a small town in Pakistan’s Punjab province and is home to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Pakistan. The mainstream media frequently ignored the pleas of the minority muslim sect as it’s residents were pushed to the wall by extremists who illegally…… Continue reading Interview at the Ahmadiyya Convention (USA) With Rabwah Times
Father Jacques Hamel’s gruesome murder in northern France July 26 – by men claiming allegiance to the Islamic State – prompted sorrow and outrage from Muslim leaders around the world. Carol Zimmerman of Catholic News Service called me shortly after the murder to gain insight on how a Catholic like myself views Hamel’s murder. Here…… Continue reading Quoted in “Slain French Priest Was Attack on ‘All of Us'”
A Independent Journal Review piece by Conor Swanberg cites my recent Tweet on how social media profiles interpret so-called “terrorist” attacks. Swanberg writes: Dr. Craig Considine, a sociologist at Rice University, has noticed some trends in how people use social media to respond to tragedy. He notes four predictable stages that the average Facebook user goes through surrounding a…… Continue reading Cited in “These Facebook Posts Reveal a Depressing Reality About What We Do When Terror Attacks Occur”
Qasim Rashid, an Ahmadi American, is my good friend. Years ago, his family fled Pakistan, a country that deems Ahmadis as “non-Muslim”. Ahmadis in Pakistan are persecuted to the point where they are openly murdered without any ramifications for the murderers. Ahmadis cannot refer to their places of worship as “mosques”. They also cannot use the term assalamalaikum,…… Continue reading Would Trump Allow the Call To Prayer in the White House?
A new News.com.au piece by Emma Reynolds cites my article “Muslims Aren’t A Race, So I Can’t Be Racist, Right? Wrong”. Reynolds wrote the following: Sociologist Craig Considine points out in the Huffington Post that White and Black, Asian and Indigenous Americans are not races either. He says race is not a biological reality but…… Continue reading Cited in “Pauline Hanson’s Claims on Islam, Broken Down”
Leftist. Liberal. Progressive. Communist. People hurl these terms at me on an hourly basis via social media. They are overused and misused so much that they no longer have any meaning to me. I do not self-identify myself with any of these labels. Placing me into these categories is nonsense. I am none of these things,…… Continue reading Why This Christian Is An “Islamic Apologist”
Here is one of my favourite stories about Prophet Muhammad. It is noted in a hadith that he and several of his companions were sitting down along a street in Medina. Suddenly, a companion spotted a funeral procession approaching the group. In respect of the dead human body, Muhammad stood up as the procession crossed…… Continue reading Prophet Muhammad Stood for Humanity in Medina, While ISIS Tries to Destroy It
Prophet Muhammad believed that freedom of religion and civic rights were important components of a “Muslim nation,” according to an analysis of the prophet’s covenants with Christians. Craig Considine, a lecturer in Rice University’s sociology department, studied “The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with Christians” and found that these agreements established freedom of religion and…… Continue reading Religious Freedom Was Key To Muhammad’s “Muslim Nation”
Here’s a radio interview with Middle East in Focus (Los Angeles). The program has been airing regularly on KPFK since 1980. MIF’s mission is to fill the many gaps left by the mainstream media in their coverage of the M.E. and to correct many of the distorted images presented by the mass media – both news…… Continue reading Radio Interview: Islamophobia and Radicalization With Middle East in Focus (Los Angeles)
Women’s rights. Those two words aren’t often associated with Prophet Muhammad or Islam, but they should be. Here’s why… Anyone who wants to learn about Prophet Muhammad must learn about the women in his life. The Prophet led a community filled with active, independent and strong women. Khadijah, his first wife, was also his boss.…… Continue reading Believe It or Not, Prophet Muhammad Promoted Women’s Rights
A new CNN piece by Dean Obeidallah cites my article “Saluting Muslim American Patriots.” Obeidallah wrote the following: Muslims fought to establish this nation, serving in the Revolutionary Army, fighting alongside George Washington, according to sociologist, Craig Considine, who assayed Muslims’ contributions in war in an article for the Huffington Post. The most famous was Peter Buckminster,…… Continue reading Cited in “Trump’s Failure on ‘Heeby Jobbies'”
By Amy McCaig Published first on Rice University News and Media Second-generation Pakistani-Irish individuals are facing identity challenges among Ireland’s mainstream views of national identity or “Irishness,” according to a new study from Rice University. “What Does It Mean To Be ‘Irish’? Perceptions of Irish Identity Among Young Pakistani Men” appeared in a recent edition…… Continue reading Second-generation Pakistani-Irish Individuals Face Identity Challenges
“Why This Christian Studies Islam”, my latest article in the Huffington Post, has been translated into Arabic. Translation is important because it moves ideas from here to there. Translation is another way to build bridges across unnecessary divides. You can find the article here
Here’s a video of my talk the other night in Seabrook, TX. I addressed members of the Muslim American Society on the issue of DEUCE – dialogue, education, understanding, commitment and engagement. I refer to Prophet Muhammad’s relations with Christians and touch upon “the grey zone” that Donald Trump and ISIS want to destroy. That…… Continue reading Video: Talk to Muslim American Society in Seabrook, TX
People often ask me, Why do you study Islam if you are a Christian? Here is my answer: I am hungry for meaning, wherever it might be found. I do not care if it is in a desert of Arabia or a small village in France. I want to bridge the perceived worlds, through meaning-making.…… Continue reading Why This Christian Studies Islam
Written for Mvslim Multiple sources have now confirmed that Omar Mateen, the shooter of the Orlando massacre, was himself gay. He often visited Pulse, the popular gay nightclub that he committed the massacre in. Eyewitness reports suggest that Mateen would get so drunk at the bar that bouncers would have to kick him out. He…… Continue reading “Muslim Sounding Names” and the Orlando Massacre
Humanity is dying. ISIS fighters recently killed 19 Kurdish Yazidi women. They were burned alive in iron cages in one of the city squares in Mosul. These women were executed for refusing to have sex with ISIS militants. ISIS believes that it follows a “pure version” of Islam. They justify their crimes on the so-called…… Continue reading There Is Nothing “Islamic” About ISIS
A few months ago, when I was teaching Sociology of Religion at Rice University, the topic of Ted Cruz and Christian privilege came up in our classroom. In response to questions about his commitment to conservatism, Cruz stated: “I’m a Christian first, American second, conservative third and Republican forth. I’ll tell ya, there are a whole…… Continue reading Dear America – Check Your Christian Privilege
Picture this. A Muslim leader reaches out to a group of Christians and invites them to his country. The Christians happily accept the invitation, while the Muslim leader prepares his people for their arrival. This is the first time the two communities have met in an official delegation. Matters of state, politics and religion are…… Continue reading What Prophet Muhammad’s Covenants With Christians Say About ISIS
A new Dallas Morning News piece by Huma Munir cites my article “Religious Pluralism and Civic Rights in a “Muslim Nation”: An Analysis of Prophet Muhammad’s Covenants with Christians.” Munir wrote the following: The Quran says that Prophet Muhammad was sent as a mercy to mankind. During his prophethood, Christians and Jews were granted full protection…… Continue reading Cited in “Terrorists Have Abandoned Islam”
Where were they radicalized? That’s the question we should be asking. An extremist group of white, presumably Christian men in Texas are training against a non-existent Islamic “uprising” by dipping their bullets in pig’s blood and bacon grease to target Muslims. The fact that consumption of pork is forbidden in Islam is well-known. The extremist group, based in…… Continue reading Hate Group in Texas Threatens to Kill Muslims – And Nobody Asks Where the Group Was Radicalized
The following lecture, which I broadcasted first on Periscope, is based on my article, Why I Admire Muhammad: A Response to Islamophobes. Islamophobes have attacked me because I’ve written positively about Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. Because I am a Catholic, they consider me to be a heretic and feel that my interfaith activities are sacrilegious.…… Continue reading Video: Why I Admire Prophet Muhammad – A Response to Islamophobes
The following lecture, which I broadcasted first on Periscope, is based on my recent article, “Muslims Aren’t A Race, So I Can’t Be Racist. Right? Wrong”. I argue that although Islam is not a race, Islamophobia should be treated as a form of racism.
A bishop shall not be removed from his bishopric, nor a monk from his monastery, nor a hermit from his tower, nor shall a pilgrim be hindered from his pilgrimage. That’s one of Rice University professor of sociology Craig Considine’s favorite verses from ‘The Covenant with the Christian Monks of Mount Sinai’. Dr. Considine recently published…… Continue reading Quoted: Rice University Professor Sends Peaceful Message to Islamic Nations
I am happy to share my new publication “What does it mean to be ‘Irish’? Perceptions of Irish identity among young Pakistani men” in Diaspora Studies (published by Routledge – Taylor & Francis). Abstract: The aim of this paper is to contribute to the discussion surrounding national identity by considering a particular set of empirical…… Continue reading Article: What Does it Mean to Be ‘Irish’? Perceptions of Irish identity Among Young Pakistani Men
The Muslim American Society (MAS) in Houston is hosting their annual banquet iftar dinner and Muslim Community Center groundbreaking celebration. I am happy to announce that I will be one of the keynote speakers. Imam Wazir Ali, Director of Mercy Community Center and the Resident Imam of the Houston Masjid of Al-Islam and Masjid Al-Qur’an, will also…… Continue reading Speaking at Muslim American Society in Houston
A new Duluth News Tribune article by M. Imran Hayee cites a few passages from my blog post titled “Documents Show Prophet Muhammad and US Founding Fathers Were Kindred Spirits.” Hayee wrote the following: On April 6, an Arab Muslim student from the University of California, Berkeley, Khairuldeen Makhzoomi, was removed from a flight when he alarmed a fellow…… Continue reading Cited in “Loyalties to Islam, America Not Mutually Exclusive”
My grandfather, Joseph Tedesco, passed away when I was 15 years old. I remember his burial – the first in my life – like it was yesterday. Family and friends of all backgrounds gathered in a beautiful cemetery in Newton, Massachusetts. As you can imagine, it was a difficult moment for everyone in attendance. Tears flowed. The…… Continue reading Even in Death, People Are Afraid of Muslims
I sometimes think about the glories of “Islamic Spain,” or Al-Andalus. Starting around 711 and ending in 1492, Muslim rulers maintained a spirit of convivencia, a Spanish term meaning “living in togetherness” or “coexistence”, which allowed for an unprecedented level of interfaith engagement on the European continent. While Al-Andalus may represent the pinnacle of cooperation among Muslims, Christians…… Continue reading The Other Al-Andalus – When Muslims and Christians Flourished Side By Side in Sicily
A new Huffington Post UK article by Meliha Hayat highlights my recent peer-reviewed article titled “Religious Pluralism and Civic Rights in a ‘Muslim Nation’: An Analysis of Prophet Muhammad’s Covenants with Christians.” Hayat wrote the following: When the Prophet Muhammad first established Islam in Medinah he drafted a charter entitled the Constitution of Medinah. It…… Continue reading Quoted in “Can a Killer Be a True Muslim?”
craigconsidinetcd.com 